Who needs the Kremlin Cup?

Russia's tennis player Maria Kirilenko (right) during the 2012 International Tennis Tournament "Kremlin Cup" that took place in Moscow last week. Source: RIA Novosti / Alexey Kudenko

In its current shape, the Kremlin Cup is useless to both the players and the fans. The lack of exciting matches and the exorbitant ticket prices critically undermine the tournament’s chances of survival.

Russia's tennis player Maria Kirilenko (right) during the 2012 International Tennis Tournament "Kremlin Cup" that took place in Moscow last week. Source: RIA Novosti / Alexey Kudenko

This year’s tennis tournament in Moscow
recently got underway. Each year, however, list of competitors noticeably
diminishes in distinction. This is especially true of the men’s competition:
the top player this year is Alexander Dolgopolov of Ukraine, who ranks 21st in
the world.

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The blame lies squarely with the tournament’s organizers. Yevgeny
Kafelnikov, now vice president of the Russian Tennis Federation, was tasked
with bringing in the stars of world tennis. He admitted that, for Roger Federer
or Rafael Nadal, the tournament prize money was considered “ridiculous” — those
players expect at least double the amount.

It is clear that the top echelon of world
tennis will not be appearing in Moscow just yet. Attracting Russia’s number
one, Mikhail Youzhny, should be a much simpler affair; but even he will not be
gracing the stage in Moscow this year, since he will be on the court in
Stockholm. Youzhny's trainer, Boris Sobkin, said that it was not a question of
money — Mikhail was not even invited to the tournament.

From a marketing point of view, Youzhny's
absence is a slap in the face for the Kremlin Cup, and the underwhelming list
of male competitors is a serious blow to the tournament's reputation.

The women’s tournament fares slightly
better, but will not feature top-ranked Maria Sharapova, who is busy preparing
for the final tournament of the season. Svetlana Kuznetsova and Vera Zvonareva
will also be absent due to injury. While female names have more pull, they
cannot rescue the situation without their male counterparts. The Kremlin Cup,
which takes place in the Russian capital, really has no right to exist in such
a format.

Despite the absence of any worthwhile
spectacle, ticket prices for the tournament continue to rise every year. A
half-decent seat will set spectators back a few thousand rubles. The cheapest
ticket for the final is 300 rubles ($10), but the binoculars that would then be
necessary cost more.

A correspondent for Gazeta.ru paid a visit
to the Olympic Stadium and found the entertainment offered to be woeful — there
was no hope of compensating for the lack of quality on the court. Scattered up
and down the spacious corridors of the huge sports complex were tents with
sponsors offering or advertising services. These same sponsors dwindle more and
more as the years go by, which is hardly surprising.

There is not much to set pulses racing.
Fans of autographs could buy a large tennis ball for 950 rubles ($30) and try
to get player autographs. Adults, along with the teenagers and children, kept
busy in this way: with nothing exciting to watch on the court, there was simply
not much else to do.

A decent lunch at the right price was also
off the menu. Firstly, it was expensive; and secondly, the choices were scant.

“I always go out to the Kremlin Cup. I love
tennis and used to play, but what’s been going on in recent years is very sad,”
a visitor said, holding the hand of his 9-year-old son. “I came here with my
son and bought two tickets — spent money, but saw nothing. I know: if I don’t
like it, why watch it? But why should I
give up on my native Kremlin Cup, when I’ve grown used to it? If the organizers
don’t have enough money to attract the stars of world tennis, they should work
with the sponsors to remedy things.”

“If changes don’t occur, next time I might
look elsewhere for family entertainment,” said the father and tennis fan,
before he headed off to watch the conclusion of the match between Yevgeny
Korolev and Richard Murzaev.